


Effort

by unadulteratedstorycollector



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Hogwarts Eighth Year, POV Draco Malfoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-06-21
Packaged: 2018-07-16 09:59:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7263379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unadulteratedstorycollector/pseuds/unadulteratedstorycollector
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco likes to watch her, he needs to watch her. Not that she ever notices.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Effort

It has been three weeks, two hours, twenty three minutes and… five, six, seven… seconds since he last saw her. Not that she would know that. She doesn’t pay attention to him. She never has, not when she’s got the Golden Boy. Just another reason to hate Harry Fucking Potter. She walks into the great hall, her eyes shining, her hair flowing freely as she laughs at something Granger says. She turns to look at the Weasel, resting a hand on his arm, and Draco feels his heart contract. No, not the Saviour and the Weasel.

Weasley wraps his arm around Granger’s waist and pulls her close to him, pressing a kiss to her head. Ok, that’s better. Granger laughs as Y/N pushes Weasley and Granger towards the Gryffindor table. They take their seats next to Potter and she leans over, snagging a bit of bacon off his plate. Draco takes a deep breath, stealing himself.

“Draco, you’re staring again,” Pansy chuckles and Draco gives her a withering look. She cackles louder and Draco thinks about hexing her. Instead he sighs, straightening his back and focusing on his breakfast. There’s no point in denying staring. He’d done that for six years before… well. He wasn’t going to deny things any more.

Across the room she laughs again, the soft, round noise ringing out across the hall. It takes everything within Draco not to look up at her, to watch how she throws her head back, clapping her hands together. Draco knows that she’ll be laughing at something Potter said. There is no reason for her to find him that funny.

“Well that’s interesting,” Blaise drawls next to him and Draco’s head snaps to look at him, one eyebrow raised.

“Since when do you find something interesting?” Draco asks and Blaise stares at him.

“I don’t. But you will,” Blaise turns his head towards the Gryffindor table and Draco follows his gaze. Potter is sat next to the Weasley girl, their hands clasped, her head leant against his shoulder. Y/N looks up at Longbottom and says something that makes him laugh and together they lean towards each other. Draco feels his heart jump into his throat. She pulls away from Longbottom at the last moment, giving his head a playful shove. Draco releases the breath he’s been holding.

So she’s not with Potter, or Weasley. or Longbottom. Perhaps.

“You know, instead of staring at her, you could always go and talk to her,” Pansy smirks and Blaise almost laughs.

“You know, Pansy, I really don’t care what you think,” Draco snaps.

“What is it that’s stopping you?” Theo asks from across the table between large mouthfuls of cereal, “that she’s a Gryffindor, or that she’s friends with Potter?”

“Theo, don’t talk with your mouth full,” Pansy snarls before turning back to Draco, “Although he does have a point darling. You have no reason anymore. The war is over, we all said sorry and made nice, and everyone has very sweetly and graciously moved on.” Draco glares at Pansy, willing her to shut up. But he’s known her since they were children, and it’s never worked before.

“Unless she comes up to you,” Blaise says, sounding completely bored with the topic of conversation. Draco turns to look at him, trying to give him the same levelling glare his father used to give. Blaise just raises an eyebrow, not impressed by… well, by anything.

“And what makes you think that Y/N would leave what is clearly a hilarious conversation to come and talk to a group of people that includes you, Blaise?” Draco sneers.

“Maybe because Blaise watched me walk over?” She says from behind Draco and he jumps, curing himself for breaking his cool façade. Blaise smirks and slides over on the bench to allow room for her to sit next to Draco. Draco can feel his heart in his long fingers and a soft heat rising in his cheeks as she looks down at him, her eyes sparkling.

“Y/N,” he nods at her, and she laughs, the sound running through Draco like lightening.

“I won’t sit, thanks though Blaise,” she smiles at him and Blaise, oh God, Blaise smiles back. Draco tries not to look stunned and Blaise winks at her before turning back to his breakfast, “I just wanted to see if you fancied going to Hogsmeade later Draco?” she asks, his name on her lips sounding like something special and Draco opens his mouth, ready to say something cutting, but saying nothing at all.

“He’d love to,” Pansy jumps in and Draco looks at her. He can handle this. He’s a Malfoy for fucks sake.

“Yeah? I mean, it’s nothing big, I think some of the others are going to the pub at about 8 if you all fancied?” she looks around at the others and they make sounds of agreement. She smiles and Draco can’t breathe, “Great. So we could go for dinner? And then maybe meet everyone at the pub after?” Her eyes are wide and Draco takes a deep breath.

“That sounds satisfactory,” he drawls and she laughs, her head rocking back.

“Satisfactory. Well, I guess that’s more than I hoped for. See you at about six?” she asks and Draco raises an eyebrow, nodding once. She laughs again, bending quickly and planting a soft kiss on his cheek before sweeping back to the Gryffindor table, doing a little dance as she gets closer to her friends. They all smile and Draco feels a tug in his chest.

“Congratulations Draco. You have a date and you had to put precisely no effort into it,” Pansy sniffs and Draco turns to snarl at her, despite the giddy feeling in his brain.

Because he has a date.


End file.
